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MANHATTAN -- David Littrell isn't sure who is more excited about the Kansas State University Orchestra's upcoming performance with the rock group Kansas: the orchestra members or their parents.

"When I told the students about it last fall, they were thrilled. They all wanted to do it. Then I heard from their parents. Many of them are from the same generation as the band and are big fans. They can't wait for the show," said Littrell, conductor of the K-State Orchestra and university distinguished professor of music.

The Kansas concert is part of K-State's McCain Performance Series and will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 28, in McCain Auditorium. Ticket information is available at http://www.k-state.edu/mccain.

Kansas, which produced a string of hits in the '70s and '80s and is still recording today, has eight gold albums, three sextuple-platinum albums, one platinum live album and the million-selling gold single, "Dust in the Wind."

The 80-member K-State Orchestra will accompany the band on a number of arrangements, including the group's big hits "Dust in the Wind," "Carry On Wayward Son," "Point of Know Return" and other works, Littrell said.

Making the whole experience even more memorable for the orchestra is that the concert is being taped for a documentary on the progressive rock band by Smoky Hills Public Television, Bunker Hill. The documentary, which could be distributed to other PBS affiliate stations, will include behind-the-scenes footage of the orchestra and band preparing for the concert, interviews with members of Kansas and the orchestra, and more. The K-State Division of Communications and Marketing's video production services unit is assisting with the project.

To prepare for the concert the orchestra will have four two-hour practice sessions led by Littrell, then a final rehearsal on the afternoon of the show led by Larry Baird, guest conductor for the performance. A noted composer, arranger, conductor and performer, Baird wrote the orchestral arrangements being used in the concert.

The K-State Orchestra has a distinguished history. It was founded in 1867 and has been in continuous existence since 1882. The orchestra has played in K-State performances with noted musicians before, including acoustic duo Jay Ungar and Molly Mason. But Littrell said this would be the first time the ensemble performs with a rock band.

"The students are ready to try something so completely different from Brahms," he said. "Rock 'n' roll isn’t easy music to learn. It has totally different rhythms."

The experience is also a new one for Littrell, who is a classical musician. In addition to conducting the K-State Orchestra, he teaches cello, double bass and viola da gamba. He even was a member of the orchestra in the late '60s and early '70s as an undergraduate at K-State.

"The only Kansas song I knew before now was 'Dust in the Wind.' I just wasn't big on rock music in the '70s when Kansas hit it big. But I'm a big Kansas fan now," he said.